U.S. Peacekeeper Dies in Kosovo

AP | AP-NY-03-05-02 0903EST

[vooch]

PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (AP) - An American peacekeeper has died of a gunshot wound at a U.S. military base in Kosovo, an official said Tuesday.

The body of Pfc. Gary S. Kalinofski, 21, was discovered Monday by fellow soldiers at Camp Magrath, 30 miles east of the province's capital, Pristina.

The cause of Kalinofski's death remained unknown, but did not result from any engagement with hostile forces, said Major James Crews, a spokesman for the U.S peacekeepers in Kosovo.

Authorities were investigating the circumstances surrounding his death, Crews added.

Kalinofski had served in Kosovo since November. He had been assigned to A Company, Task Force 1-32nd Infantry Regiment in Fort Drum, N.Y.

He is survived by his parents, who live in Fayetteville, N.C.

Some 5,000 U.S. soldiers serve as part of the peacekeeping force in Kosovo. In 1999, the United Nations took control of the southern Yugoslav province after an air campaign.

Copyright 2002 The Associated Press.

[vooch]

a sad day for this family, keep them in your prayers

[Banat]

Kalinofski??? Too Slavic. I wouldn't rule out murder. Remember the Bulgarian-American Red Cross guy who was brutally murdered by an Albanian mob just for speaking Bulgarian, which the apes 'mistook' for Serbian?

[seamus]

Or, it could have been suicide.

[sheik yerbouty]

KLA thugs.

[NautiNurse]

Sounds odd, indeed. If not a result of hostile forces, what is left other than 'friendly' engagement, a bar room brawl or suicide?

[Jaysin]

Unfortunately, many "unstable" soldiers commit suicide when they are deployed abroad. I remember during the initial days of Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti in Sept 94, 2 or 3 soldiers killed themselves because they "couldn't take it anymore" At least they killed themselves and not other people!

[bluester]

Apes? My my...

[Banat]

How else do you call a rabid mob who brutally MURDERS an innocent man, in broad daylight? Don't give me your sh_t, Bluester. Please.

[HiJinx]

I just checked with someone who was there.
They were suicides.
Put your cynicism to rest on this account.

[joan]

There's "accidentally" being shot - like what was reported as having happened to two Italian KFOR soldiers - and they weren't the only ones in Kosovo to be shot or have shot themselves "accidentally".

June 1999

On the evening of 24 June, an Italian soldier died at the university hospital in Pristina after discharging his weapon accidentally.

Italian KFOR soldier dies in accidental shooting

PRISTINA, Yugoslavia, April 2 (AFP) - An Italian soldier in the Kosovo peacekeeping force (KFOR) died Sunday of an accidental gunshot wound at his military base in Pec, eastern Kosovo, a KFOR spokesman said.

The 29-year-old corporal died of a bullet wound to the head, but the spokesman said officials were "virtually certain this was not a suicide." He gave no details of the incident.

[vooch]

Freepers have tallied that almost 60 Kfor soldiers have died since Clinton sent them in to disarm the KLA.